If you’re here wondering how long does it take for eyelashes to grow back, I’m going to guess that you’re a recent victim of a lash snafu.
I’ve been there, too. Once upon a time, I fell for the instant gratification lure of immediately longer and fuller lashes and got myself cheap eyelash extensions.
Big mistake.
They looked alright when freshly applied but when they came off – they took a bunch of my natural lashes with them.
My eyes looked bare, bald and miserable and I was left desperately asking my friends, the Internet and the beauty salon people, “How long does it take for eyelashes to grow back?!”
The silver lining is that thanks to this unfortunate experience, I became somewhat of an expert on eyelash growth rate issues. So if you’re currently in the unenviable position of trying to grow back lost lashes – here’s everything you need to know.
Do Eyelashes Grow Back?
The first thing you’re probably wondering is whether eyelashes grow back in the first place. I know I was terrified that my lost lashes were gone forever.
Especially since I suspected my lashes had been yanked out when the extensions were removed, I was seriously worried that they’d been permanently removed. So do eyelashes grow back if pulled out?
Rest assured – eyelashes grow back, even if they were pulled or yanked out.
Think of it like when you pluck your eyebrows or wax your legs. You can remove the little hairs, base and all, but they still return, don’t they?
Same with your lashes. So don’t worry, they will grow back.
The only thing is, it’ll take awhile…
How Long Does It Take for Eyelashes to Grow in the First Place?
The short answer? Quite awhile – it can take up to 200 days!
Want a longer, more nuanced answer? You’ll want to know how lashes grow to begin with.
Here’s how it works.
Anagen Phase
Lashes begin their development in the Anagen phase, which is when the growth happens. This period lasts around 45 days (which is why it can seem like your lashes are taking forever to grow) and is the only time in the lash life cycle when they are actively growing longer and thicker.
Fun fact: The reason the best eyelash growth serums work so ridiculously well is that they contain a brilliant ingredient known as prostaglandins that actually lengthens the Anagen phase, allowing each and every eyelash to continue growing ever longer and thicker!
Catagen Phase
Once your lashes complete the Anagen growth phase, they enter a transition phase known as the Catagen phase.
This period lasts around 2 to 3 weeks and during this time, there is no growth. In fact, the hair follicle actually shrinks during this time.
The bad news is that if an eyelash falls out or is pulled out during this phase, it won’t grow back straight away because the hair follicle actually needs to complete this phase before it can move on to the next phase.
Telogen Phase
The next, and last, phase that your lashes go through is the Telogen phase. During this resting period, your eyelashes are basically just chilling and doing their thing. This phase lasts around 100 days at the end of which, the eyelash will fall out and begin the cycle all over again.
If you lost your lashes during this Telogen phase, you’re lucky because this is actually the best time to lose an eyelash. Why? Because the eyelash growth cycle wasn’t interrupted so it can begin anew quickly.
As you can see from this, the eyelash growth cycle is a long one. To make it ever more complicated, your lashes aren’t all in the same cycle. Some are in Anagen while others are in Telogen so it can take awhile to get your lash line back to its former glory.
But that doesn’t mean you need to wait over half a year for your eyelashes to grow back…
So…How Long Does It Take For Eyelashes to Grow Back?!
Now that you know more about your eyelashes than you ever cared to, you just want to know: how long does it take for eyelashes to grow back?!
Well, don’t be discouraged by the long eyelash growth cycle – it’ll only take around 6 to 8 weeks for you to start seeing new eyelashes grow back.
And of course, you can always take action to help your eyelashes grow faster.
The best way to encourage faster eyelash growth is to apply a daily eyelash serum. The best lash growth serums work by extending both the growth phase of your lashes so they grow to longer lengths as well as increasing the number of lashes that sprout.
They’ll help fill in a sparse lash line a lot quicker (and a lot longer and fuller).
Our favorite as of now is GrandeLash MD, which is one of the more affordable lash serums out there that will help your lashes reach levels of length and thickness that you’ve never seen before.
The only downside is that these super effective lash growth serums contain Prostaglandin, which has the unfortunate possible side effect of darkening your irises.
This is fine if you have dark eyes, but if you have light-colored eyes and don’t want to take the risk – you’ll want to go for an eyelash conditioner instead.
Lash conditioners don’t typically produce the same dramatic eyelash growth as prostaglandin-containing serums do, but they definitely help your lashes grow back longer, thicker and healthier.
They also provide heaps of nourishment for your lashes and hair follicle so they stay healthy and can grow to their full potential.
Whichever route you take, rest assured that your lovely lashes will indeed grow back. Sure, it may take awhile but take this opportunity to nourish them like you never did before and before you know it, they’ll be back longer, thicker and fuller than they ever were before!
